China: Leader Says He Wants to Ease Tensions Between Two Koreas

By CHRIS BUCKLEY

March 20, 2013

China’s newly appointed president, Xi Jinping, left, spoke to his South Korean counterpart, Park Geun-hye, by telephone on Wednesday, and told her that his government wanted to help ease tensions between the two Koreas. China has long served as the North’s political and economic mainstay, but it also seeks to keep close ties with the South, which is a much larger trade partner. “The South and North are compatriots, and relations between them are of vital importance for the peninsula,” Mr. Xi told Ms. Park, according to a statement by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “China is willing to provide the necessary assistance to encourage bilateral reconciliation and cooperation between the South and North.” Relations between the Koreas have been especially tense since North Korea staged a nuclear test last month and the United Nations responded with sanctions, infuriating the North.